Iowa City vs Sioux Falls
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $285,900 in Iowa City and $292,400 in Sioux Falls.
- Households earn more in Sioux Falls ($75,970 vs $58,546 median).
- Sioux Falls gets far more snow: 45 inches a year vs 28.
- Sioux Falls is growing faster: +10.9% since 2020 vs +1.9%.
- South Dakota has no state income tax on wages; Iowa's top rate is 3.8%.
Side by side
| Iowa City, IA | Sioux Falls, SD | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 76,229 | 213,748 |
| Growth since 2020 | +1.9% | +10.9% |
| People per square mile | 2,959 | 2,557 |
| Median age | 26.2 | 35.5 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 61% | 38% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $58,546 | $75,970 |
| Median home value | $285,900 | $292,400 |
| Home value to income | 4.9× | 3.8× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,094 | $1,035 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 91.5 | 90.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 84.0 | 77.6 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $68,600 | $68,000 |
| Homeowners | 47% | 60% |
| Top state income tax | 3.8% | None |
| Combined sales tax | 6.94% | 6.11% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 17.3 | 17.0 |
| Work from home | 12% | 11% |
| Take public transit | 6% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.6% | 2.5% |
| Poverty rate | 26.3% | 9.6% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 31° / 15° | 27° / 9° |
| July high / low | 86° / 66° | 85° / 63° |
| Precipitation per year | 36 in | 28 in |
| Snowfall per year | 28 in | 45 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 19 | 15 |
| Nights below freezing | 135 | 162 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 87.4 | 89.5 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 70% | 81% |
| Home prices, past year | +3% | +2.5% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +33.9% | +36.3% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Iowa City: May and July to October. Sioux Falls: May to September.
Full monthly tables: Iowa City weather by month and Sioux Falls weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $68,600 in Iowa City and $68,000 in Sioux Falls. Moving from Iowa City to Sioux Falls, you would need about $74,300 to match a $75,000 salary.
Which would you pick?
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